Oil Spill Halted Short of River
Firefighters and a hazardous materials crew from the Ventura County Fire Department were able to stop 400 gallons of spilled crude oil from reaching the Santa Clara River near Fillmore late Saturday afternoon, a Ventura County Fire Department spokeswoman said.
A 10,000-gallon oil tank owned by Mirada Petroleum overflowed about 3:15 p.m., sending a stream of black crude into a nearby drainage ditch, the spokeswoman said.
The oil mixed with water in the ditch and flowed more than a mile toward the sensitive habitat along the Santa Clara River before firefighters could dam the flow.
Officials from the state Department of Fish and Game, who were taking over responsibility for the cleanup late Saturday, expected that all the oil still in the ditch could be cleaned up with a vacuum truck by Sunday, the spokeswoman said.
The spill, which was reported anonymously, is still under investigation. No damage to wildlife was reported as of late Saturday.
Attempts to reach representatives of the petroleum company Saturday evening were unsuccessful.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
